Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

For the information of the member for Corangamite, the Abbott government has delivered a real surprise—a real present—to the people of Shortland electorate: they have cut any proposal to have the NBN in Shortland electorate. For the information of the government, the people that I represent are extremely disappointed and disturbed about the actions of this government.

They are just as disturbed about the changes that have taken place in Centrelink, particularly the long waits they are facing, whether at a Centrelink office or on the telephone or with an appeal. It may shock and horrify members to know that a person submitting an appeal after being rejected for a disability pension, a carer's payment or any other allowance are waiting for up to 12 months. I do not know if other members have had calls like this to their office, but every day that I have constituent interviews someone comes in about the waits at Centrelink.

I find it really disturbing that people who attend Centrelink offices are quite often in dire need of help. When they have to wait for very long periods of time, it causes them enormous angst and they become very upset, particularly elderly people. Shortland is an older electorate and a number of my elderly constituents attend the Centrelink office, only to be handed the telephone and told to call. They will not be seen by a Centrelink officer, but when they phone they are given an appointment to go and see a Centrelink officer in so many weeks time. They are given this information over the telephone. This is very, very confusing for people. It is not one person who has come and complained to me about this—this is happening each and every day.

The No. 1 complaint that we receive in our office at the moment is in relation to Centrelink, the wait times and the call system—being put on the telephone to talk to someone rather than being able to see somebody in a Centrelink office. I think it is unacceptable, and I think members opposite are indicating that they think it is unacceptable. I have spoken to Centrelink management about it and I have raised this issue in a number of different areas; it is really very difficult.

Government Member:

A government member interjecting—

Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am sorry, but I misheard what the member on the other side was saying. He thinks it is acceptable that people have to ring on the telephone and have to wait 12 months to have an appeal heard. I do not agree with that, and I know that on this side of the House we find it totally unacceptable that people are asked to wait in this way.

I had an elderly lay come to see me in the office. She had been up to Centrelink twice; she rang the help line and waited an hour and a half on the phone; and they suggested that she try another Centrelink office. She then travelled around the other side of Lake Macquarie to the Toronto office and was told exactly the same thing there. She was handed the telephone. So, she came back around to the eastern side of Lake Macquarie to a smaller, collocated Medicare-Centrelink office behind my office in Belmont. She went up there, and they said, 'Sorry, we can't see you unless you've got an appointment.' So, they gave her an appointment. When she came back, it started again.

The reason I think this is happening is not because Centrelink officers are inefficient but because there has been a dramatic cut in the number of staff available in Centrelink. Each and every day those officers in Centrelink are being asked to deliver a lot more than they can with the resources they have. I believe the Abbott government stands condemned for the actions it has taken in relation to Centrelink.